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Friday, December 05, 2014

2014 WTA Yearbook

The time has come. (As always, thoughts and words brought to you free of charge.)

=2014=

Hmmm... the new "official" motto for Backspin?

And away we go...

Our Beloved Backspin Academy

Heavy wears the Presidential crown.

Wow, the past term's Backspin Academy Student Council election campaign was quite the wild contest. Over the years, the BSA government has been the place for great political power experimentation. We've entertained and adopted the notion of power-sharing set-ups, in-name-only leaders serving at the behest of more "legitimate" power brokers lurking in the shadows of the Rectangular Office in Henin Hall, and even seeming dictatorships in which swift justice was served out against anyone who dared to challenge the reigning President's comfortability in the big chair.

This year, we saw a more Schizophrenic governing situation develop.

As things turned out, the Academy's incumbent student council President held onto power from the first day of the term until the last, but her campaign was hardly a masterpiece. In fact, by her long-held standards, it was quite disappointing in the arenas where she's traditionally shined the brightest. While she took care of the office's day-to-day duties until late summer, making the sure the buses ran on time and the potholes were filled, the council members who -- even if only in their political dreams -- were jockeying to replace her performed daring feats at the biggest campaign rallies of the year held in Melbourne, Paris and London. In contrast, the President consistently flamed out at those very same important events. While her presidential title remained securely in place throughout, some might have said that she appeared to be more a "figure-head" than a full-fledged leader ready to shepherd a student body seeking to change the world.

But, of course, those people failed to remember just who the Academy's student President actually IS, and how her history of drifting into and out of absolute power meant that she was capable of once again seizing total control at any moment.

And that's what she did in New York, winning the last huge debate of the campaign and, in turn, picking up enough confidence-inspired momentum, support and votes to carry her through until the end of the term, even if she did potentially need an inadvertent helping hand from a fairly new big-stage political operative hailing from Romania, whose admirable refusal to step aside and not participate in an otherwise "meaningless" squabble in Singapore provided just enough wiggle room for the President to complete her successful re-election bid.

Flaws and all, it was quite the historical victory. Until this campaign, Academy election results have unofficially adhered to a model that embraced term limits of the one-year variety. Winning back-to-back elections is no easy feat, as the attempt is a trail traditionally littered with injury, fatigue and, sometimes, lingering cases of ennui that make long-term governance by a sole individual a rarely-seen phenomenon. Madam President surely suffered from most, if not all, of those maladies over the course of this election cycle. Thus, her fourth, but first consecutive, term in the office won't likely be equaled for a very long time.

In the latter stages of her current term, the President was seen around and off campus with a very familiar face. A former Class President, in fact.

The very public Best Friends Forever display has led to rumors that the President might be seeking to groom her replacement, hoping to retain a little influence down the line even if she herself fails to, a year from now or later, fashion a fifth presidential election victory of her own. The Danish former class leader wasn't especially viewed as a Council leader with great power and aggression in her previous stint in the top spot, so she surely could learn a great deal from our respected Madam President. Only time will tell.

Future generations will surely be entertained by the tale, but we'll have to wait a while to see the truth with our own eyes. Who knows? Maybe the former class President who returns to power in 2015 won't even be the one from Denmark... but someone who hails from a different European nation.

"When I think of power I think of Serena. When I think of focus I think of Sharapova. When I think of heart and guts I think of Azarenka." - Chris Evert

Backspin Academy's humble and hardworking staff occasionally undergoes some upheaval, but the student body (which sometimes includes a few of our instructors, who pull double duty in order to show how much they care) is generally pleased with those entrusted with molding their impressionable minds like the blocks of clay that they are.

First off, we are happy to report that, after quite a few terms after which we recounted how many of the Academy's friends gently (and sometimes not so gently) urged one member of our staff to allow his pupil/daughter/student assistant to work with another professor without him personally lingering in the background, Mr. P-Woz and his offspring Caro did indeed test the waters of alternative education in an attempt to allow her to spread her wings. After stints under the tutelage of visiting Professors Sanchez, Johansson and Hogstedt, as well as great personal change away from her studies, young Caro returned to her roots at BSA with a greater knowledge and perspective gained from her time on her own.

We are happy to report that Caro's grades improved markedly upon her return, as well as her work habits, techniques and standing within the BSA community (after it had been slightly damaged since her successful early days on campus). In fact, she is quite possibly our best all-around, most versatile student (no one has more extracurricular activities on her Academy resume!) on campus. It has all produced a moment of great redemption for both the Professor and his daughter, though some argue that the REAL reason for her resurgence has been the shedding of an unnecessary and ultimately damaging appendage that caused young Caro to lose her focus for quite a few terms, as her drop in grade point average perhaps-not-so-coincidentally coincided with the affair in question.

On the bright side, the Dane's "borrowed" clubs were returned to the Academy golf team.

Of course, one change often begets another, and the case holds true here, as well. Professor Hogstedt is now free to serve as a consultant during part of the upcoming term for an enterprising young student from Romania, who herself has chosen to exit the year-long program hosted by Professor Fissette in order to learn from one of BSA's newest instructors, Victor Ionita, who just so happens to hail from her native country.

Meanwhile, several other young students have moved on from their past instructors, as well, including one of our stand-outs this term, Miss Bouchard (formerly Professor Saviano's steadfast, though often feisty, charge); while Miss Keys has seen fit to spend a little time being mentored by one of BSA's past stars (and former Class President!), Mrs. Davenport (as well as Professor Fissette). We're all hoping that it provides young Madison with a strong base from which to improve her work even more next year. We have great optimism for her future.

For the second straight year, BSA has seen the exit of one of our most well-liked, and recently epicly successful graduate students. A year after Mademoiselle Bartoli walked through the Academy's front gate, the wonderful Li Na did the same. We are all better for having known her, but poorer for seeing her go.

We are all sure that we will see Na again, though in a somewhat different capacity, but we'll still long for her humorous asides and winning personality. Of course, now we're all wondering on whom she'll try out all her fabulous jokes about her husband Dennis! From top to bottom, we've all been a wonderful audience over the years. Oh, well. Hopefully, Na will see fit to drop in once in a while, just to show how easily she can still make us smile.

While we reveled in the return of past Academy stars Vaidisova, K.Bondarenko and Cavaday, as well as the additional workload picked up by a pair of Russian students, both Ms. Rodina and Diatchenko, of course, at the close of many academic sessions, we're always forced to bid adieu to some of our longstanding campus personalities. It's just a way of life at BSA. Amongst the heartfelt goodbye moments this year were send-offs for the aforementioned Li, as well as long-time students named Arn, Barrois, Burdette, Castano, Dubois, Haynes, Kremer, Jones, Jugic-Salkic, Melzer (formerly Benesova), Meusburger (though she'll return for one more class in Melbourne), Safina (yes, she's been living off-campus for a while now, but she finally made her permanent departure official this past term), Martinez-Sanchez and Shaughnessy. We still hope that each and every one return to our warm embrace some wonderful day in the future, just as will be the case in the coming term when we welcome back student Duval with open arms after her brief -- and thankfully successful! -- medical leave.

Unfortunately, the same will not be said for our beloved former student Baltacha. Or, as we all came to know her, our "Bally." The Brit passed away after being trapped in the clutches of a dastardly illness this past term, moving us all and, quite simply, breaking our hearts. We may never fully recover from the loss. But won't forget her, either.

"A lot of things that happen throughout the year, and some things are super frustrating that I don't want to deal with half the time. But you have to be patient; otherwise things will not happen." - Sloane Stephens

"She speaks the way she plays right now -- with great clarity. She knows what she's about. She's very comfortable, even though she doesn't have much experience in life terms. She's the real deal, isn't she?" - Pam Shriver, on Genie Bouchard

WONDERFULLY COMMUNICATIVE HUMAN (FORMERLY???) WITH AN EVIL ENTITY AS AN ALTER EGO:Agnieszka Radwanska"OTHER" FED CUP STARS OF THE YEAR:Andrea Hlavackova & Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova (the Czechs who made November happen... in February)SUBSTITUTE FED CUPPER OF THE YEAR:Andrea "The Wonderfully Off-Center Tone Setter" Petkovic(STILL THE) BEST FED CUP CROWD SURFER:Aga RadwanskaSCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:The eleven students representing eleven different nations in the term-ending Best Grade Point Average list... the Academy is so proud of its diversitySCHOOL OF (MISSED IT BY ONE VOTE) INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:Andy MurraySCHOOL OF RADWANSKIAN MASSACRES ON INTERNATIONAL STAGES - ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY:The Rad, on June 26 at WimbledonSCHOOL OF CONTINUING TO LIVE WITHOUT FEAR:Alisa KleybanovaSCHOOL OF LEARNING TO LIVE WITHOUT FEAR:Vicky Duval & Catalina Castano

SCHOOL OF LIVING WITHOUT FEAR (and being Jankovician):JJ, of courseSCHOOL OF INNOCENT, POTENTIALLY CONTROVERSIAL -- and now forgotten -- COMEDY REVOLVING AROUND YOUR BFF:Caroline Wozniacki in Brazil, as "Serena"

"Best friend on tour? I don’t have one. I don’t think the tennis tour is the place to have friends. For me, it’s all competition. And I think it’s important to just remember that we’re going to play against each other. It’s not like we’re teammates. To me, it’s kind of more competitive." - Genie Bouchard

"I'm not looking for anyone to believe in me or anything like that. You have to believe in yourself these days. I have nothing to prove, nothing to hide, nothing to lose." - Venus Williams

"A Williams' Work is Never Done: The Story Continues": Venus Williams"What Do You Do Next When, in What Might Your Best-Ever Chance for Greatness, You Just Miss?": Lucie Safarova, with a "My Wonderful Summer Trip to London" postscript"Convincing Yourself is STILL the Hardest Part": Samantha Stosur [Note: speaker will not present speech in Osaka]"How to Resurrect a Formerly Promising Career": Mirjana Lucic-Baroni"Fire a Another Coach, Lose a Fiance, Win a Title, Gain a BFF, Reach a Big Final, Run a Marathon, Do a Triathlon and Regain Lost Ground in Record Time: The Story of My Year": Caroline Wozniacki"27 (in a row) is the Loneliest Number: The Quest for the Summer of BrengleFly": Madison Brengle"All Right... Next!": Radek Stepanek (still lurking looking for his next production, following his previous one-man shows: "Martina & Me," "Nicole & Me" & "Petra & Me"), with a follow-up by Taylor Swift, "It wasn't you, it was me. Psych!""It's Not as Easy as You'd Think... just ask me": Camila Giorgi"My Day in Acapulco with Grigor": Genie Bouchard"What's Yours COULD Be Mine... one day": Genie Bouchard"Keeping Your Friends Close, But Your Enemies Closer": Maria Sharapova"Promising Yourself that Second-Best is Never Enough (no matter how often the Tennis Gods try to convince you otherwise)": Angelique Kerber

"My first few months I don’t think has been great at all." "I have a couple words to describe it, but I think that would be really inappropriate, so I’m going to leave it at that." - Serena Williams

"Before I felt very small, but today I thought, 'I’m not going to feel very small.'" - Garbine Muguruza

"Signs of a Tennis Apocalypse & Us: A First-Person Account": L.Z. Granderson & Hannah Storm (speakers will appear together at podium only when every other possible speaker has finished, gone home, gone to bed, passed out or decided to "take a weekend" in North Korea)

"I think everyone in general plays the match of their lives against me. So every time I step on the court, I have to always be a hundred times better. If I'm not, then I'm in trouble. If I'm not playing a great, great match, these girls when they play me, they play as if they're on the ATP Tour, and then they play other girls completely different. It's never easy being in my shoes." - Serena Williams

Our student body is a talented crop, and always on the look-out for rewarding extracurricular activities to take up their valuable time.

"Make me rich." - Li Na, to her agent"You're a good guy. And lucky...because found me." - Li Na, to her husband

[Yearbook note: when the Russian Chess Club was in danger of being disbanded due to a lack of recent interest from the Hordettes two years ago, the Bannerettes agreed to step in to provide a little international competition. Last year, the Canadians decided they wanted part of the action, too. The Russians and Americans have since decided to pare the club roster down to ONLY members from their two nations... we're not certain if this is a sign of poor relations down the road, but we're keep an eye out.]

"I think the sport brings so many opportunities to women. It's brought me so many things in my life and my career. I don't regret any step I have taken. On one hand, sometimes I wake up and think, 'Well, I don't wish this on my kids!' But then when I'm playing the matches, I'm in front of thousands of people and the experience that the sport brings, I think, 'Of course I want my kids to do this." - Maria Sharapova

=CLASS FAVORITES=MOST WELL-LIKED:Li NaSTILL THE FUNKIEST & MOST WELL-LIKED, at Backspin HQ:Vika "Still the Face of Backspin" AzarenkaMOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED, age 20+:Eugenie BouchardMOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED, under age 20:Madison KeysMOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED, age 18 and under:Belinda BencicPOWER DUO ONCE MORE:Hsieh Su-Wei & Peng Shuai (in Paris in '14)POWER DUO NO MORE:Hsieh Su-Wei & Peng Shuai (everywhere else in '15)ORIGINAL SWISS MISS: Martina HingisNEW SWISS MISS: Belinda BencicUNDETERRED SWISS MISS: Timea BacsinszkyLEAST PUBLICIZED SWISS MISS: Stefanie VoegeleJUNIOR SWISS MISS: Jil Belen TeichmannNEW NADIA: Nadia PodoroskaNEW SERBIAN JJ: Jovana Jaksic"IN" SISTERS: Karolina & Kristyna Pliskova"OUT???" SISTERS: Ula & Aga RadwanskaUNDERRATED SISTERS: Chan Hao-Ching & Yung-JanLATEST UKRAINIAN SISTERS: Lyudmyla & Nadiia KichenokALWAYS CLASSIC SISTERS: Venus & Serena WilliamsPERSONALITY PLUS, circa 2012:"Future Sloane" StephensPERSONALITY MINUS, circa 2013:"Current Sloane" StephensPERSONALITY PLUS, early 2014:Eugenie BouchardPERSONALITY NEUTRAL, late 2014:Eugenie BouchardPERSONALITY PLUS, always:Jelena Jankovic & Andrea PetkovicBEST VICTORY LEAP:Serena WilliamsBEST VICTORY CLIMB:Casey DellacquaBEST VICTORY COLLAPSE:Petra KvitovaGOOD MOVE: moving Fed Cup final weekend back a weekBAD MOVE: the Fed Cup final weekend coincides with the early matches of the ATP World Tour Finals, leading to apocalyptic FC final "coverage" on Tennis ChannelGOOD MOVE: the Tournament of Champions event is eliminated for 2015...BAD MOVE: ...only to be replaced by a similar "Elite Trophy" event for players ranked #9-19 and various doubles teams (well, at least the event won't be laughed at for not always including actual "champions" in the field)GOOD MOVE: the IPTL finding a way to make the sport fun and entertaining, for players as well as fansOBVIOUS FACT: you'd be smiling, too, if you were being paid six to seven figures to play in matches in which it doesn't matter whether or not you actually winBAD MOVE: anyone thinking the IPTL mindset will carry over to actual matches with meaning. That sort of mindset in a professional player usually results in a career very similar to that of Gael Monfils... fun to watch, but ultimately meaningless and filled with empty caloriesGOOD BIRTHDAY: Aga RadwanskaBAD HAIR DAY: Aga RadwanskaGOOD BALL RETRIEVER: Gladys KnightEVEN WORSE HAIR DAY: Caroline Wozniacki

GOOD BIRTHDAY: Genie BouchardBAD HOMECOMING: Genie Bouchard in MontrealNATION-HOPPERS: Ajla Tomljanovic & Sesil KaratantchevaITALIAN STILL ENDEARING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS (especially in Indian Wells):Flavia PennettaITALIANS GIVING GOOD GOOFY FACE:Sara Errani & Roberta VinciBEST REAL WORLD MANEUVERING:Amelie MauresmoQUIETEST TOP 20/20 HONOR ROLL STUDENTS: Carla Suarez-Navarro & Garbine MuguruzaFORMER #1 STUDENT FINALLY THINKING LIKE A TOP 5 PLAYER AGAIN: Ana IvanovicFORMER #1 STUDENT FINALLY THINKING LIKE A #1 AGAIN: Caroline WozniackiQUIETEST FED CUP ACHIEVERS: Kiki Bertens & Amy BowtellLATE BLOOMERS:Alison Riske & Maria-Teresa Soler-EspinosaLATE BLOOMING FLIGHT ATTENDANT:Ana "Would You Like a Bag of Cocktail Peanuts?" Ivanovic(NEW) TOP-RANKED CHINESE: Peng ShuaiMOST LIKELY TO CONTEND FOR SOUTH AMERICAN SUPREMACY: Argentina vs. BrazilNextGen CZECH MAIDENS FIGHTING FOR A '15 BREAKOUT: Katerina Siniakova & Barbora KrejcikovaNextGen CZECH MAIDENS FIGHTING FOR A '16 BREAKOUT: Tereza Smitkova & Denisa AllertovaNextGen JUNIOR CZECH MAIDENS FIGHTING FOR A '17-'18 BREAKOUT: Marie Bouzkova & Marketa VondrousovaFAVORITE NAME (but only if you say it three times fast): Reka-Luca Jani! Reka-Luca Jani! Reka-Luca Jani!FAVORITE HEROINE: "Citizen Anna" is the new blackMOST BELOVED CHARACTER: ol' QC... the end is still the beginning, and the beginning is still the endFAVORITE UNSEEN CAVE KIDS: "Carlo" and "Carlita" ("Carl & Carla" wanted to keep the kids out of the public eye while they were little... but Carl IS a doting cave-dad)STILL A HORROR FOR THE WORLD?:HOPE FOR THE WORLD?:MOST HOPEFUL -- or scariest? -- REALIZATION: Serena Williams lost in Melbourne, Paris and London to Ana Ivanovic, Garbine Muguruza and Alize Cornet... A.G.A. Oh.Our.Gods.TOGETHER AGAIN FOR ANOTHER ROUND: Serena Williams & Jelena Jankovic

"You can take more time, it's yours." - Jelena Jankovic, to Serena Williams in Dubai, who'd held up the Serb's serve for a moment"Do you really want to do this again, Jelena?" - Serena Williams, referencing previous "issues" between the two in Rome (2010) and Charleston (2013)

"She's loyal and is fun to hang around. That's something that I think is very important in a friend." - Caroline Wozniacki, on Serena Williams

*BACKSPIN ACADEMY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS FEATURE PRODUCTIONS*
...our plucky performers are always tirelessly working to entertain the student body and faculty throughout the calendar year, with the long-running "The Many Faces of Caroline" the most lauded production since the establishment of our performing arts curriculum. After a one year break two terms ago, our signature show returned in 2013 for a limited test run.

Well, we are proud to report that "The Faces of Caro" -- as most of our students call it -- was fully revived, with a reinvigorated cast , in 2014 and enjoyed the same sort of rave reviews it received during its original run. Or, dare we say it, even better ones. The star was more focused and aggressive in her artistic decisions this year... and some believe her performance could very well continue to improve in the next term! Needless to say, we are all positioned on the edge of our seats in anticipation.

Filling some of the void over the last two seasons for the oft-absent "TMFoC" was its sister show, "The Many Faces of Vika." The people in the know on campus just loved it, and we were all expecting something great once again this term. But after the star of the production was forced to take several medical leaves during the theatre season, the production was shuttered. We hope that it will return in the near future.

Of course, not all our "replacement" or "short-run" shows can be immediately successful. Some were highly anticipated, but either quickly lost their original steam, or failed to grip the audience as everyone had hoped.

Hey, no one is perfect.

But while we'll be on the look-out for new and terrific ideas to grace our stage in the future, we're just tickled pink, blue and gold to have Caro -- and all her faces -- back. And we're happy to announce the show is already booked for a year-long run in 2015 at the newly-named WTA Tour Theatre!

A few highlights from the past term's production:

Coming in 2015...

Maybe. Well... it COULD happen. Possibly. Or not.

Yeah, probably not.

*ATHLETICS*
...we love our sports at Backspin Academy, and some say we love our awards even more. So, here are a few of the highlights and lowlights from the past season of competition:

=BACKSPIN ACADEMY ALL-STAR TEAMS=*ALL-BEAUTIFUL*Aleksandra Krunic earns U.S. Open fame, a WTA doubles titles, Top 100 ranking and contract from Octagon

"It's great sometimes to get knocked down because you have to get back up. I love getting back up. I love the challenge." - Serena Williams

*ALL-UGLY*Peng Shuai's exit from the U.S. Open semifinals
============================= U.S. Fed Cup coaching decisions
============================= Serena's pre-U.S. Open slam year
============================= Elle magazine confuses Bouchard with Sharapova in photos in issue containing an interview with the Canadian
============================= The Aussie Extreme Heat
============================= The lack of a roof on any U.S. Open courts... for a little while longer
============================= Genie Bouchard's finish in Singapore, and the bad aftertaste it left
============================= Serena vs. Sharapova (10-year anniversary)
============================= The Serbian, Slovak & Chinese Fed Cup teams
============================= Jamie Hampton's ailing (insert currently appropriate body part)
============================= Serena's exit from the Wimbledon doubles
============================= Sloane Stephens vs. Caroline Wozniacki ("Current" lost 6-1/6-0, and scored just five points in the 2nd set)
============================= Jelena Ostapenko vs. Varvara Flink in the December '13 Eddie Herr semifinals
============================= Azarenka's chances to win "Belarusian Idol" after, well, you know
=============================

And, finally, while the coast appeared to be relatively clear in '14, there are still pockets of Rad paranoia around campus. While some point to the lack of a closing punch from the entity's human (sometime-)host during most of the now-concluded term...

...still others wonder if the past year might have been a "set up" season during which we all let down our guard, leaving us susceptible to another lethal surprise attack like the one we saw at the All-England Club in 2013. Some groups have even used the aforementioned "A.G.A." -- the combined first name initials of Serena's conquerors in Melbourne, Paris and London this past term -- as "a secret sign" that foretells future doom.

But, of course, we don't really believe in that sort of thing. Ummm. No, we don't believe in it at all. But, well, just in case, we thought it'd be wise to refresh our memories about the layout of Radwanska Abbey. You know, just in case Citizen Anna needs our help down the line.

Of course, that's how things were a couple of years ago. They may have changed since then. Gulp. Oh, how we all wish that SOMEONE would just say something to make us forget the past and truly believe that things will be okay in the future.

Well, I guess that's about as much assurance as we need.

Thanks again, Na.

Whew! If you made it this far, congratulations. Hopefully, there was something here for everyone. If not, well, it wasn't for a lack of trying.

All right, it's finally time to go. So, from Backspin HQ, located on the top floor of Henin Hall, to be continued...

Every December, I live for this post. I poured a glass (well, maybe a couple of glasses) of Cabernet and had a blast reading this issue of the Yearbook. The Radwanska photos alone (the sister shots are sublime) would have satisfied me!

I laughed out loud several times. For whatever reason, the two things that cracked me up the most were the description of Pironkova's lecture and the poster for the production of Future Sloane.

Loved the Rad banner (!) and the photo of Oh, So French Alize.

This post summed up why I love the crazy women's tennis tour. Thank you, Todd, for a brilliant portrait of what has to be the wackiest, wittiest, most stylish, most dramatic, and most entertaining athletic endeavor in existence.

I think the Cornet "oh-so-French" shot is one of those pictures that doesn't even need a caption or title to get the point across! :D

FOOTNOTES: on the "Future Sloane?" poster, the co-stars listed above the title are all the players who've beaten "Current" in slams since she reached the semifinals in Melbourne in '13, and all the co-stars listed at the bottom are the players who've become first-time tour singles champions (a total of 20) since that same tournament.

Meanwhile, the "Many Faces of Caroline" revival poster was loosely based on a revival poster for Les Misérables: here.

Still, no matter what anyone thought or has thought of her, it would have been hard to believe in January '13 that nearly two years later she still wouldn't have reached her first tour final, or even made another semi. This past season, there were just TWO quarterfinals all year.

WTA yearbook is nice to read every year so keep on doing you amazing reviews. Another thing.Martina and Aga - how do you like that? I'm not so keen on that, as i don't want Aga to be a power hitter and ruib her shoulders with that. Well - on the other hand if Martina can put some mental stabillity into Aga and that's good.

Yeah, just because of the personalities, I like the Aga/Martina combo, though it does seem to be a somewhat odd mix (unlike, say, if she was working with a big-serving lefty Czech with an affinity for grass like Kvitova).

Thing is, even with all her great accomplishments, Navratilova was known for being a bit mentally shaky at times.

I'm thinking she'll probably help Aga with being a bit more aggressive as far striking balls deep and coming to the net for put-away volleys more often, adding even more of that (which she's utilized a bit in recent seasons) to her already-full bag of tricks. Surely, it would seem to serve her well at Wimbledon... which, you know, Martina knows a little about. :)